You are bold and modern, and nobody can ignore you. Chefs love you, and you know how to make an entrance.
Cheese profile
- MildBold
- SoftFirm
- HomebodyExplorer
- SoloFondue crowd
- ClassicWild
The real cheese facts
- Origin
- Belp, canton of Bern, created in 1989
- Milk
- Raw milk
- Type
- Dried fresh cheese with garlic, rolled in black pepper
- Best for
- Grated over pasta, risotto, salads, eggs
Source: belperknolle.ch · Last checked 28.10.2026
Taste and texture
Strong garlic under a peppery crust. The producer calls the garlic aroma explosive.
How to eat it
Use it like a spice and grate it finely over food, much like a truffle. Spaghetti, risotto, asparagus, salads, steak, scrambled eggs: the producer’s list is long.
Did you know?
It was invented by accident in 1989. In Peter Glauser’s family dairy in Belp, a few fresh cheeses were left too long and dried out. The garlic comes from Wynigen, where his brother grows it.
Belper Knolle or Sbrinz?
Both end up grated over pasta and risotto. Sbrinz is an extra-hard cheese made from raw milk and ripened for at least 18 months. Belper Knolle is a fresh cheese with garlic, rolled in pepper and dried until it is hard enough to grate.
More about Sbrinz AOP →How to keep it
Keep it cool and dry, and grate only as much as you need.
Questions about Belper Knolle®
Is Belper Knolle a hard cheese or a fresh cheese?
It starts as a fresh cheese and dries until it is hard enough to grate. The producer sells it as a hard cheese.
What is in it?
Raw milk, Himalayan salt and garlic, rolled by hand in black pepper.